Updated July 23.
The footprints of the person, who allegedly stepped on the chick, pivoted quickly from the scene, according to biologists at BiodiversityWorks, the nonprofit organization that monitors the Island’s shorebird habitat.
The direction of the human footprints is the reason field biologists believed the act was malicious by the perpetrator. It was also unlikely, due to signage and the string that blocked the area off, that someone entered without realizing it, according to BiodiversityWorks.
The director of BiodiversityWorks, Luanne Johnson, said she reached out to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to open an investigation.
Johnson said the footprints and the sustained injuries of the chick were “very suspicious.”
“It’s hard to imagine what would make someone go inside the fencing when there’s plenty of areas not posted — plenty of areas that are open for people to recreate out there,” Johnson said in an interview with The Times.
signs alert beachgoers to the presence of the endangered bird species and their mating grounds. And safety parameters are also set up in areas where young piping plovers are found, like at the Tashmoo Beach parking area recently.
Piping plovers are a federally and state threatened species of shorebird due to habitat loss, predators, and human disturbance. On the Island, conservation efforts to protect the small, sand-colored birds have helped recover their populations to nearly “normal” numbers, according to Johnson, who’s monitored piping plovers on the Island since 1992. That year, Johnson monitored 12 mating pairs. In 2025, the Island-wide collaborative shorebird effort monitored 104 mating pairs of plovers. Johnson said this is directly because of the conservation efforts and ongoing protection of the species.
“Our team monitors nesting piping plovers at least three times a week,” Johnson said. On the day when the piping plover chick was discovered, BiodiversityWorks biologists were checking on the mother of the chick. They had documented that the female adult was missing on Thursday, July 16, which Johnson said is not unusual, since a female piping plover occasionally leaves the male to raise the chicks.
The biologists were searching for the adult female shorebird on Friday, July 17, when they discovered the injured chick. They brought the 11-day-old chick to a local veterinarian, who told them euthanization was the most humane path forward. The veterinarian also noted that the bird was dehydrated.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is actively seeking the person who allegedly stepped on the piping plover chick, Johnson said. And the incident has put the continued protection of these habitats at top of mind for Johnson. It’s the birds’ home, she said, and humans are the guests. She added that she hopes people respect this going forward.
“These birds rely on beach habitat for their survival. It’s their home. The only place they can nest is on barrier beaches or sand and gravel. It’s what they’re built to do. They’ve been doing so for thousands of years,” Johnson said. “It’s just that we humans value that habitat for recreation. And so when you put it in that context, it’s their home, and we’re recreating there.”
If you have any information on the incident, it can be submitted to the USFWS Wildlife Crime Tipline, or call the FWS TIPs line at 1-844-FWS-TIPS (1-844-397-8477).
Editor’s note: Contact information and clarification on shorebird monitoring added, spelling for BiodiversityWorks updated.
Just plain stupid!
A person who would stomp on an infant chick is someone who will hurt other vulnerable creatures – including humans.